Warmth
by still.looking
Summary: It's a wonderful feeling when you can just stay in and ignore the storm when you have a fire, a cup of chocolate, and Green snarking beside you. —Green/Blue.
1. Chapter 1

**Warmth**

It's a wonderful feeling when you can just stay in and ignore the storm  
>when you have a fire, a cup of chocolate, and Green snarking beside you.<p>

* * *

><p>Blue knocked quickly at the door, as another crash of thunder sounded behind her. She was soaked to the bone and her Pokémon were trembling in their capsules. <em>I hope he opens up soon.<em>

A chain lock tinkled as he slid the door open. "Blue—" He sounded less than surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Freezing to death, thanks for asking," she said sweetly. "Can I _please_ go in?"

Green raised his eyebrows slightly, but overlooked it as she trudged past him and looked him up and down. He suddenly felt self-conscious; he was wearing nothing but his pajamas. Blue grinned.

To her surprise, Green smiled back. "We should probably get you dry."

After fifteen minutes, a showered, changed, and dried Blue walked back into the living room, where Green was curled up in a couch in front of the fire. He closed the book he was reading, straightened up, and pointed to the three-person, oversized plush couch opposite him. "I figured you'd like to thaw out."

"Yes, please."

"Do you want some cocoa? I was just going to make some."

"Sure."

She settled into the couch he had indicated, slightly awkward. Green was being really nice. Considering all the teasing, stealing, sneaking, and talking she did to annoy him, this almost hospitable treatment of her was staggering. And what was that smile about? Green never smiled. Not at her.

Green came back with two steaming mugs. Handing her one, he sat down beside her, no questions asked.

"So how come you're…" Green paused, trying to find a way to make it sound less rude, "…not at your–?"

"I lost my keys," Blue said simply, taking a sip. The cocoa felt very pleasant, warming her mouth and her insides, but also making her shiver as her extremities felt relatively cold. "I visited Gold and Silver in Goldenrod… I must have left my keys at the Game Corner."

"Too bad." He drank, staring at the fire. "Have you tried contacting them?"

"Yeah, I did, just before I headed here. Gold found them, but he says the PC's down because of the storm."

Green nodded. "Yeah, it's annoying. Red was supposed to send back my Macho Brace."

A pressing silence hung in the air. Blue realized with a jolt that she just had a conversation with Green without once yelling at, flirting with, or annoying him. The mug in her hands shook slightly as she tried to contain her laughter.

"What? What's so funny?"

She decided that saying _nothing_ would make the atmosphere awkward, so she decided to go with the truth. "No, I just realized that was the first decent conversation we've ever had."

"Really?" Green said absentmindedly, standing up.

"Most of the time it's just, you know, the usual–"

"—crap?" He said with a grin, returning with a blanket. She muttered about not needing one, but her body gave it away with a shiver. He shrugged. "You flirting, me getting annoyed, Silver calling me off?"

"Yeah, something like that." She paused, fully taking in what he said. "Wait, you actually _recognize_ it when I'm flirting?"

He threw her an annoyed glance as he sat back down and threw the blanket over their legs. "I _grew up_ being flirted to, Blue. I know it when I see it."

She punched his arm playfully. "Get over yourself."

He shrugged, with an air of not wanting to push it, picking up his mug and drinking some more. Blue smirked as he cracked a smile.

"So you don't mind?"

"Hm?" He had already lost track of the conversation. Blue sighed.

"When I flirt."

"Oh." He swilled his cup around absentmindedly. "Most of the time, no. Only when I'm preoccupied, or Silver's around to murder me."

"Sorry about that. It's just a brother thing. Don't you get the same way when Daisy's around Bill?"

He looked amused at the idea. "Ridiculous, no way. Bill's a good, smart guy. And it's about time someone caught Daisy's eye," he said, smiling at the fire. "She's picky."

Blue was stuck on the word 'good'. "But you're nice," she said unflinchingly, then corrected herself— "I mean… not as bad as, say, Gold."

"So I'm only nice when beside Gold?"

He was baiting her. Something _she_ usually did to him. Not avoiding the question and certainly not forgetting it, she said suspiciously, "Are you trying to get an answer out of me?"

Another sip. "Maybe."

Maybe… she was overthinking it. Maybe Green wasn't trying to bait her; maybe he'd said it without realizing what it implied. Then again… he said he'd been flirted to endlessly, so maybe he wasn't as much of a dense idiot as far as this was concerned.

Girls fawning over Green was something Blue found _very_ easy to believe, something she would never willingly admit to him. He was a Gym Leader, an excellent trainer, and—she took a sideways glance—very attractive. Though most people saw him as a stoic person, she wondered what they would think of him if they saw him like this.

She wasn't used to seeing Green in anything other than his usual wear, so he in his (adorable, warm, downright _childish_) pajamas was unusual but not unwelcome. His hair was down and seemed less spiky, almost like Diamond's, but longer. The Green she knew was like a legendary Pokémon, fierce and powerful but only when necessary (_And hard to catch_, said a snide voice in her head). But now he seemed as tame as a Growlithe.

_And probably just as cuddly too._

Blue mentally kicked herself.

"...So, bed?"

So she wasn't the only one who could make suggestive comments. Blue giggled and pretended to blush. Green struggled not to roll his eyes. "Right. You can sleep in Daisy's room."

"Are you _serious_? It's dead cold, and I'm guessing your blankets aren't out by this time of the year."

He raised his eyebrows. "And how do you know I can't go get them?"

"Because your attic is locked and you don't know where the key is."

Green bit his lip. She had probably been around his entire house and knew the contents of his attic better than he did. Blue smiled, amused that their conversation had started to sound a little more normal. "Do you know?"

"No, I tried the place where it usually is, but I think your Grandpa misplaced them."

Green shrugged, glancing at the single comforter they had. He then motioned for her to sit down beside him, and wrapped the blanket around them both. She looked at him, surprised, but his expression remained blank. Blue wondered if he had always been this polite.

She wished he'd say something else. Blue was finding it hard to keep her eyes off him; the colors of his hair in the firelight, the way his eyes shone lazily—and wondered why he hadn't ever had a girlfriend before. And then, _Oh right. It's super-cold Green, the boy who flirted about as much as Mewtwo._

She was used to turning boys' heads wherever she went (much to Silver's annoyance), but Green's relative lack of interest caught her attention. Perhaps it was her thief's pride that she couldn't steal him… perhaps it was because of that that he interested her so much.

_But he'__s not just a prize to you, is he?_

No, she thought at once, taking a risk and relaxing her head against his shoulder. Frowning at his lack of response, she said his name. He didn't respond. Suddenly, his whole body went slack, and Blue had to push against him to keep him upright—he'd fallen asleep. Blue chuckled and (lightly, hesitantly, almost _shyly_) kissed the edge of his lips, pulling up her knees and drawing the comforter tighter around them.

"Good night, Green."

-xxxxx-

Green woke up the next day feeling comfortably warm, the sound of the rain lashing against the windows very calming. He realized with a jolt that he'd fallen asleep on the couch alongside Blue, whose head was on his shoulder; and looking down further, he saw that his right hand was laced through her left. His ears started feeling warm, but not because of her or the blanket.

And then he realized she'd wake up sooner or later.

_Oh, hell._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This took me the longest to write out of all my Oldrival oneshots, mainly because I was finding it hard to get them into character. _Again_.

So the last part there is actually a preview for the next chapter—in which Blue wakes up and hilarity ensues. :D If you tell me what you'd like to see in the next, I'll consider it and_ possibly_ make it happen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warmth, part 2**

He's awkward about holding her hand, and she's awkward about kissing him.  
>Neither of them know what the other one means.<p>

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><p>Green woke up the next day feeling comfortably warm, the sound of the rain lashing against the windows very calming. He realized with a jolt that he'd fallen asleep on the couch alongside Blue, whose head was on his shoulder; and looking down further, he saw that his right hand was laced through her left. His ears started feeling warm, but not because of her or the blanket.<p>

And then he realized she'd wake up sooner or later.

_Oh, hell._

He wondered whether to get up and act like it never happened or pretend to be asleep and see what she did. The former was risky, since he had vague recollections of suddenly dropping off to sleep _before_ her, so she would know what changed. The latter was… uh.

Green looked down at her, and wondered what she _would_ do. A) Laugh cheekily and tease him about finally being interested; B) Jump away and slap him for being a pervert (highly unlikely, since he fell asleep first… he wondered whether _he_ could do that); C) Be embarrassed out of her wits (_like I am right now_) and pretend to be asleep and then neither of them would have the nerve to 'wake up' first and they'd stay like that forever.

He facepalmed with his free hand. He probably couldn't pull off the sleeping thing anyway—his heartbeat made it seem like he was running a marathon, not peacefully sleeping.

Blue moved her head and mumbled. Green made a split-second decision and pulled his hand out of hers, but stayed stiffly in place.

"Well, look who woke up."

She looked at him groggily. "Morning to you too. Did you know you sleep talk?"

Unfazed, he looked away from her and wished she'd get off his shoulder. "No I don't. What happened last night?" Oh, crap. He wished there was a less suggestive way to say stuff.

There was already an annoyed scowl on his face as she lifted her head to look at him and said coyly, "You tell me. No, we were having cocoa and then you fell asleep on me. Literally. And _man_, you're heavy."

"Sorry." He got up and picked up their mugs, forgotten from last night. Anything to hide his face from her. "I was… tired."

"And we had a fire, and it was raining, and you were _warm_…" He remembered talking about her flirting last night, and how it seemed to be off. If he knew it was just being bottled up for today, he'd rather have the continuous treatment.

"Let me wash those, Green. It's the least I can do for you, after _last night_." She giggled. Green was growing increasingly annoyed (and red). Her hand grazed his with the least possible contact as she took the mugs from him, and he was feeling so warm he was surprised she didn't feel it. He reminded himself that he had just spent an entire night holding her hand so that was nothing, but that served only to make him blush deeper. _Isn't there a limit to how red I can get?_

And then he wondered if she remembered holding _his_ hand too, and then proceeded to push the limit further.

-xxxxx-

Blue started washing the mugs in the sink and tried to process what happened. She was pretty sure that he was right—he was asleep first. After that, she remembered kissing him… if she didn't know any better, she would have said that was a dream.

Sure she was brave enough to own a Pokedex, help take down Team Rocket, Pryce, and a massive ball of energy, but she wasn't sure she had enough courage to kiss _Green_ while he was_ asleep_. If he knew, she'd probably be looking at his Charizard's Hyper Beam… or a lifetime of awkward silences. But he hadn't changed his attitude towards her. If anything, this stony silence and cold attitude was completely normal.

_More normal than last night, at least…_

Last night proved to be confusing. Green seemed more talkative than usual, and she was treated hospitably. And then she realized that it was practically the first time she'd seen him out of a serious situation—whenever they met up, usually with the other Dex Holders, they were saving the world, or battling each other. Official stuff, responsibilities. They never hung out. She made a mental note to tell Gold to organize something.

Green was devoted to work, and didn't like getting distracted from the main point. That was why he snapped at her so many times—because her antics were usually irrelevant. But at a friendly (Blue was amused that she used that word) meeting like this, he didn't mind. It was just like he said last night: _Only when I'm preoccupied_.

_But he isn't preoccupied _now_, right? So why's he acting stoic again?_

Blue reasoned he was just embarrassed at having fallen asleep with her leaning on him—considering how much he got around, that seemed like a fairly good reason. She hoped he couldn't see how embarrassed she was, too.

Green's Pokegear started ringing; he went to pick it up. Blue noted that the communication systems were back up and Gold should be able to send her keys as soon as he woke up, not noticing how Green was whispering furiously into his Pokegear.

-xxxxx-

"Hi, Red."

"_Hey__, I've sent back your Macho Brace, sorry about the delay."_

"Thanks, I'll get it after breakfast, Blue needs to get something too—"

"Blue?" Red yelled, and Green regretted talking at once. "_She's there_?"

"Left her keys in Johto," he whispered, backing away from her so she wouldn't hear.

"_So did you try it_?"

"Try what?"

Red clicked his tongue. "_Being nice! We talked about it just yesterday!_"

In light of recent events, Green had honestly forgotten. But now he recalled a short, embarrassing conversation with Red about how he should try not calling her pesky for once.

"Well, I didn't really need it."

"_Because?_"

"She _wasn't_ pesky," he hissed into the phone, hoping that would shut Red up for once.

"_Why?_"

Green was starting to get annoyed. Again. "How should I know? Maybe she was high or something."

"_Why don't you just live together and find out?_" Red grinned at the effect he had made, listening to Green snarl and growl over the 'gear.

"Very funny, Red, you wait 'til I get my hands on you—"

"Red? He's on the line?"

Green turned around and tried to calm down again. "Yeah, he says he's sent back my Macho Brace." He vaguely heard Red yelling and decided to hang up before he could do any damage. Perhaps too suddenly, he said, "I'll go get breakfast."

He was flipping pancakes when she slid up behind him and poked his sides, his ticklish spot—his whole body reflexively twitched and almost flipped the skillet. "Blue—this is what I meant—_preoccupied_…" He hissed the last word through his teeth as he turned and saw her giggling.

"Sorry, couldn't help it. But seriously, lighten up, you're acting so stiff. It's not like we kissed or anything." _It's super effective_, Blue thought, relishing the adorable (admittedly annoyed) look on his face and the fact that he didn't know what actually happened. "Now, let me help?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Thanks to zflame393 for the tickling thing. XD

I'm dying from the cute. =w= Imagine me giggling all through writing this. Red is fun to employ as the teasing third party 'cause he usually picks on Green, which is always amusing to write and read. Amirite?

I drew a compressed version of the first chapter... link is on my profile since I can't understand how links work here. =_= Compressed because it was for drawing practice, not writing. :P

Also, I wrote an epilogue! It's optional, though, because I threw all pretense out the window and stuffed in as much fluff as I could.

* * *

><p>"What would you do," she said slowly as they were eating, and Green immediately had a premonition of impending disaster, "if I told you we kissed?"<p>

Given what happened lately, one might expect him to be embarrassed, but he knew how to recognize Blue's tricks when he saw them. "I'd tell you that's ridiculous and if—" he twitched, seeing a moment too late where this was going "—you, in any case, kissed me while I was asleep last night, that doesn't count 'cause I didn't kiss back."

He should have known better than to define the terms of kissing with his context. But he was not in the least bothered when Blue put down her plate with a knowing grin, walked over to where he was, cupped his cheek, and pressed her lips against his.

She smiled when he uncertainly kissed back, and didn't let him get used to it as she pulled away to hug him. "Well, Green, I'd call that kissing back, wouldn't you agree?" she giggled into his ear. It was neither seductive nor suggestive; it was cute. Green buried his face in her hair, trying to hide his blushing.


End file.
